Some drugs produce effects without altering cellular function and without binding to a receptor. For example, most antacids decrease gastric acidity through simple chemical reactions; antacids are bases that chemically interact with acids to produce neutral salts. The primary action of cholestyramine, a bile acid sequestrant, is to bind bile acids in the GI tract.

Last full review/revision October 2016 by Abimbola Farinde, PhD, PharmD

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